Time to man up

In times facing adversity, or when I am feeling nervous or scared, I pump myself back up by saying, “Man up, Jim.”

School is over. And with the end of school comes the end of acting like a kid.

I have more responsibility now than I have ever had before. To be honest, all the pressure and responsibility have been making me a little scared.

Gone are the roommates and the friends who would distract me from my studies. Gone are the nights of staying up until 4 a.m. playing video games. And gone are the carefree adventures of a college student.

Instead of milking all my free time at school, now I have a job that is extremely important to me, and it comes with a heavy burden of responsibility.

One mistake and you not only make yourself look foolish, but the paper as well.

While many college graduates are struggling to find a job, I was one of the lucky ones who did.

So there is no reason to complain. To be honest, there is no time.

Working at a newspaper is very rewarding, and I would rather be doing this job over any job in the world. Well… being a professional NASCAR driver would be sweet, or how about being the guy who yells, “Let’s get ready to rumble,” at sporting events. I mean, I can say five words, and I bet he gets paid a ton.

But things are never that easy. And gaining responsibility is tough.

So, I have two options. One is to sit back and let everything consume me, or I can grit my teeth and try and be ready for what is to come.

I am sure I will make some mistakes along the way, but who doesn’t? When I do fall, I need to own up to my mistake, man up, and do better the next time.

Absolutely, there are going to be unexpected events, but that is life.

When you are around family and friends who care about you, there will definitely be a lot worse things than having to deal with some pressure. Everyone has pressures to overcome, and I believe it’s just how they choose to man up and overcome that defines who they are.